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isobelline's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The most class-conscious Dickens
This is the ninth Dickens novel that I've finished this year and let me tell you, it reads like a medley of everything Dickens wrote about earlier. Debtor's prison! Angelic women! Financial machinations! Inheritance plots! Loveless marriage! Hapless young men! Dastardly criminals! Oh my!
I have to admit, it gets pretty tiring reading all of this for months and months and months. But what can I do? My master's thesis won't write itself. So I soldier on...
I'll be brief with this one: meh... With Dickens' novels I usually find a character that I particularly like and spend the entire book in anticipation of their next appearance. I couldn't do that with Little Dorrit. No one really stood out to me (except maybe for Miss Wade, the almost-canonical lesbian). Little Dorrit herself feels like a Little Nell 2.0, but without the fantastical, fairytale-like plot of The Old Curiosity Shop she feels a bit out of place.
One thing I can note about this novel is this: it is probably the most thorough exploration of class yet in Dickens' oeuvre. He covers a lot of ground here, and yet none of his observations really surprised me. Oh well, perhaps I'm just tired of his prose in general, I haven't really enjoyed it since Barnaby Rudge (though I haven't gotten to my David Copperfield re-read yet)
This is the ninth Dickens novel that I've finished this year and let me tell you, it reads like a medley of everything Dickens wrote about earlier. Debtor's prison! Angelic women! Financial machinations! Inheritance plots! Loveless marriage! Hapless young men! Dastardly criminals! Oh my!
I have to admit, it gets pretty tiring reading all of this for months and months and months. But what can I do? My master's thesis won't write itself. So I soldier on...
I'll be brief with this one: meh... With Dickens' novels I usually find a character that I particularly like and spend the entire book in anticipation of their next appearance. I couldn't do that with Little Dorrit. No one really stood out to me (except maybe for Miss Wade, the almost-canonical lesbian). Little Dorrit herself feels like a Little Nell 2.0, but without the fantastical, fairytale-like plot of The Old Curiosity Shop she feels a bit out of place.
One thing I can note about this novel is this: it is probably the most thorough exploration of class yet in Dickens' oeuvre. He covers a lot of ground here, and yet none of his observations really surprised me. Oh well, perhaps I'm just tired of his prose in general, I haven't really enjoyed it since Barnaby Rudge (though I haven't gotten to my David Copperfield re-read yet)
lindzlovesreading's review against another edition
3.0
This was an easy books to get lost in. And I don't mean oh I love getting lost in a good book, wandering down the halls of Hogwarts kind of lost, I mean turning right when you turned left, I'm sure we past that gate half and hour ago, and having to ask directions kind of lost. Though in saying this getting lost down long winding confusing ally ways you find that little hole in the wall cafe, where the coffee is so good it should be illegal.
This is for me 'Little Dorrit' Charley would wind me around with only the vaguest of landmarks then just as I was going to throw my arms up in desperation calling for help he would pull out something special.
I love how Dickens writes about society and money.
This is for me 'Little Dorrit' Charley would wind me around with only the vaguest of landmarks then just as I was going to throw my arms up in desperation calling for help he would pull out something special.
I love how Dickens writes about society and money.
hellohannahk's review against another edition
4.0
Well, a 36-hour-long audiobook was quite ambitious for me, but I did it during my 20-minute commute to and from work every day, and ended up enjoying it!
meowserly's review against another edition
4.0
The Barnacles and the Circumlocution Office about did me in with nonsensical prose that seemed to go on forever. Which is exactly what Dickens intended, I'm sure — an exact parallel in my being to the frustrations and anxiety that Arthur Clennam felt while dealing with those self-righteous fools. I'm ashamed to say that I did not have the fortitude of Arthur, so those blasted Barnacles played a shamefully large roll in it taking me three years (to the day) to read this otherwise perfectly lovely book. John Chivary 4Lyfe.
zanhoven's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
An amazingly written story with lots of depth, detail and sub-plots that intesect and combine. Thus, Little Dorrit has complex connections between characters.
mer_dont_care's review against another edition
5.0
I can’t not rate this book 5 stars after putting in so much time and effort into reading it these past few months. definitely the sum cost fallacy but whatever.
this was described to me as dicken’s most mature novel and I can definitely see why. tl;dr on the plot is there are two families where son of one family and daughter of the other are love interests. the main plot revolves around the lives of these two families and a debtors prison. in real life, dicken’s father was in this same debtors prison so I was constantly psychoanalyzing him the whole book lol.
there aren’t any characters I particularly resonated with, but the characterization was great. each person was so fully formed from their dialogue to their actions it just felt so real.
random thoughts from my notes:
-dicken’s prefaces are so endearing. i wish authors still did them. so interesting to see how he views his work and his fame at the time it is being written
-the circumlocution office is truly one of the most ingenious satires I have ever read
-dickens writes about poverty so well
but can I really recommend a thousand page charles dickens novel to everyone? like most people don’t need to read this lol and you will probably be bored out of your mind.
if you are crazy enough to read this, definitely read the trigger warnings on this book and prepare for a JOURNEY.
this was described to me as dicken’s most mature novel and I can definitely see why. tl;dr on the plot is there are two families where son of one family and daughter of the other are love interests. the main plot revolves around the lives of these two families and a debtors prison. in real life, dicken’s father was in this same debtors prison so I was constantly psychoanalyzing him the whole book lol.
there aren’t any characters I particularly resonated with, but the characterization was great. each person was so fully formed from their dialogue to their actions it just felt so real.
random thoughts from my notes:
-dicken’s prefaces are so endearing. i wish authors still did them. so interesting to see how he views his work and his fame at the time it is being written
-the circumlocution office is truly one of the most ingenious satires I have ever read
-dickens writes about poverty so well
but can I really recommend a thousand page charles dickens novel to everyone? like most people don’t need to read this lol and you will probably be bored out of your mind.
if you are crazy enough to read this, definitely read the trigger warnings on this book and prepare for a JOURNEY.
charlotteforbes's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
taylor394's review against another edition
5.0
This book is a forgotten classic, especially regarding Dickens work. It is a story of mystery, intrigue, love, and misery. I particularly enjoyed the characters of Amy and Arthur, as well as the colourful ensemble. The book can be a challenging read due to its length, and lag at certain long winded points. Some of the sub-plots can be a little difficult to get through, but I thoroughly enjoy this book! I recommend if you are a Dicken's fan, an Austin fan, or you enjoy historical fiction or classics.
annadixon76's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
savaging's review against another edition
3.0
Oh Chuck, you ur-father of Content Creation, you. Giving us over 800 pages of a fun-but-prudish telenovela and then wrapping up the plot like it's the 8th season of Game of Thrones (why are people acting this way? oh, because the plot outline says they have to).
Like prestige tv, Dickens abides by all the conventions of a beloved genre, but does everything a little bit better than he has to. I'm pulled in to this world, even though I always see the author's thumb on the scales. I know all 'wickedness' will be punished and all 'virtue' rewarded, and you can tell who's wicked because they sneer.
Dickens's true love is the grotesque and bizarre. That's where he really shines. That's when this book becomes truly laugh-out-loud funny. When he writes about good-pure-innocent-beautiful characters, it's like Milton writing God. So dull.
Dull like Amy Dorrit, who wants her fatherly lover to refer to her only as Little(?). Dear sweet Little Dorrit has an immense martyrdom complex. She has no boundaries and is unable to ever stick up for herself. As I look at the family dynamic, I see her persistent self-sacrifice as complicity in the continuing cruelty and bad behavior of her family, to the point that everyone who gets close to her winds up likewise exploited by her family. I don't blame Little Dorrit for these patterns, because this is all she's known. But I do blame Dickens for holding her up to us as the paragon of right-living.
On the other side, there's the Wicked Woman. Miss Wade is pissed that people mistreat her because of her lack of class status. She doesn't want to coddle people, she wants justice. She meets Harriet, an orphan who has been taken in as free child labor by some jolly good capitalists, forced to be a servant for their beloved shiny daughter. They've changed her name to Tattycorum, a name she hates, and repeat again and again that she must 'count to five-and-twenty Tattycorum' if she ever gets angry about her situation.
Miss Wade and Harriet see each other as kindred spirits and take off together. What if they could have been forever free adventurers, learning together who they really are outside of the roles set out for them, creating a home for other deviants? (Has anyone written this fan-fiction?)
But Dickens makes them pay severely. They hate each other because they are hate-filled women, until Harriet runs back 'home' and promises she'll be the most obedient and grateful Tattycorum forever after.
This example clarifies that even though Dickens can show that the world is unfair and oppression is so sad, he ultimately wants mercy, not justice. Good comes from a benevolent philanthropist or an act of God. Any time someone wants real equality, you can tell they're going to be punished as a villain. Dickens wants people to instead abase themselves until someone mercifully lifts them up.
This works well with the central bourgeois politics that permeates the book. The ruling class is full of idiots and frauds. The poor are wacky and befuddled. But the middle class is industrious and helpful and we must get out of their enterprising way. Dickens can see that capitalism and industrialization are creating problems, but he ultimately believes the solution is capitalism and industrialization -- though it should also be lubricated by the milk of human kindness.
(Though also has anyone noticed that Dickens doesn't have any idea what engineers and inventors and businessmen actually do? He just makes vague hand-waves toward their work: there's some sort of invention-or-other that could really be good for us all if only those bureaucrats would get out of the way. Dickens can describe a kidney pie or style of bonnet in great detail, but when it comes to an invention that is central to the plot, we only get abstractions -- not even a hint about whether it's a weapon or a machine for producing something or what.)
In conclusion: I had fun, but if anybody wants to jump on the Dickens train I would recommend trying elsewhere.
Like prestige tv, Dickens abides by all the conventions of a beloved genre, but does everything a little bit better than he has to. I'm pulled in to this world, even though I always see the author's thumb on the scales. I know all 'wickedness' will be punished and all 'virtue' rewarded, and you can tell who's wicked because they sneer.
Dickens's true love is the grotesque and bizarre. That's where he really shines. That's when this book becomes truly laugh-out-loud funny. When he writes about good-pure-innocent-beautiful characters, it's like Milton writing God. So dull.
Dull like Amy Dorrit, who wants her fatherly lover to refer to her only as Little(?). Dear sweet Little Dorrit has an immense martyrdom complex. She has no boundaries and is unable to ever stick up for herself. As I look at the family dynamic, I see her persistent self-sacrifice as complicity in the continuing cruelty and bad behavior of her family, to the point that everyone who gets close to her winds up likewise exploited by her family. I don't blame Little Dorrit for these patterns, because this is all she's known. But I do blame Dickens for holding her up to us as the paragon of right-living.
On the other side, there's the Wicked Woman. Miss Wade is pissed that people mistreat her because of her lack of class status. She doesn't want to coddle people, she wants justice. She meets Harriet, an orphan who has been taken in as free child labor by some jolly good capitalists, forced to be a servant for their beloved shiny daughter. They've changed her name to Tattycorum, a name she hates, and repeat again and again that she must 'count to five-and-twenty Tattycorum' if she ever gets angry about her situation.
Miss Wade and Harriet see each other as kindred spirits and take off together. What if they could have been forever free adventurers, learning together who they really are outside of the roles set out for them, creating a home for other deviants? (Has anyone written this fan-fiction?)
But Dickens makes them pay severely. They hate each other because they are hate-filled women, until Harriet runs back 'home' and promises she'll be the most obedient and grateful Tattycorum forever after.
This example clarifies that even though Dickens can show that the world is unfair and oppression is so sad, he ultimately wants mercy, not justice. Good comes from a benevolent philanthropist or an act of God. Any time someone wants real equality, you can tell they're going to be punished as a villain. Dickens wants people to instead abase themselves until someone mercifully lifts them up.
This works well with the central bourgeois politics that permeates the book. The ruling class is full of idiots and frauds. The poor are wacky and befuddled. But the middle class is industrious and helpful and we must get out of their enterprising way. Dickens can see that capitalism and industrialization are creating problems, but he ultimately believes the solution is capitalism and industrialization -- though it should also be lubricated by the milk of human kindness.
(Though also has anyone noticed that Dickens doesn't have any idea what engineers and inventors and businessmen actually do? He just makes vague hand-waves toward their work: there's some sort of invention-or-other that could really be good for us all if only those bureaucrats would get out of the way. Dickens can describe a kidney pie or style of bonnet in great detail, but when it comes to an invention that is central to the plot, we only get abstractions -- not even a hint about whether it's a weapon or a machine for producing something or what.)
In conclusion: I had fun, but if anybody wants to jump on the Dickens train I would recommend trying elsewhere.